From the Launch of the Internet to Microsoft’s First Laser Gaming Mouse (PCGH-Retro, September 6)

…1968: Building a nationwide computer network for scientific purposes – that is the high goal of the US research institute ARPA, which therefore called on over 140 companies to submit offers for the development of the necessary infrastructure. The requirements are high, because most computers of this time are not suitable for permanent operation as network servers, as they have to be serviced several times a week. Only a few companies see themselves capable of developing the complex technology – including the company Bolt, Beranek & Newman (BBN) submitting a 200-page bid to ARPA on September 6, 1968. BBN wins the bid and develops the first computer network – the ARPAnet, a precursor to the Internet.

…2001: On September 6, the US Department of Justice made it clear that Microsoft should not be broken up as a result of the ongoing antitrust lawsuit – a court had previously demanded that the company be split into two because Microsoft was exploiting its monopoly position in the software market. Instead, they now want to be content with smaller restrictions.

…2005: PC gamers spend a lot of money on hardware and accessories – a lucrative market that Microsoft no longer wants to cede to competitors like Logitech. Therefore, on September 6th the company presents the Laser Mouse 6000, the first mouse of this manufacturer equipped with a laser and aimed directly at the gaming market. The mouse marks a reversal: there was already a series of Microsoft input devices for gamers in the form of the Sidewinder line, but the brand was scrapped in 2003 – and will be revived in 2007.